Rashid Shaheed was traded to the Seahawks.
The Cowboys made a trade for Quinnen Williams but remain far from a contender.

Say what you want about Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, but they never fail to provide entertainment -- even if it's at their own expense. Which it usually is.

They're the most amusing franchise in sports... as long as you're not one of the sad hopefuls who actually call themselves fans. Couldn't be me. Especially not after Jones pulled off another trade Tuesday that can only be described as head-scratching.

In a deal to land Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets, Dallas gave up a 2027 first-round pick, 2026 second-round pick and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. And, um, excuse me... who do the Cowboys think they are?!

TRADE GRADES: How did Cowboys, Jets do in Williams deal?

Don't get me wrong, Williams is a fantastic player. He's a former All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler who any team would be happy to have. But this is a deal you make if you believe your team to be a piece or two away from competing for a championship, which the Cowboys are decidedly not. They're 3-5-1 with holes all over the defense. Plugging Williams into that lineup is like putting a band-aid on a leaky dam. To give up valuable draft capital in the process only makes it harder to plug those other holes in the future. As does the remaining money owed on Williams' contract.

It almost feels like Jones made this trade because he publicly said he had something coming and ended up having to overpay to deliver on that promise.

LOADED: Every Jets top NFL draft pick after deadline deals

Then again, maybe the Cowboys are just confused. This is, after all, the latest in a string of questionable trades for a team going absolutely nowhere. Before the season, they traded their only pass rushing threat, Micah Parsons, for another Pro Bowl defensive tackle (Dallas really likes DTs) and two firsts. And let's not forget about last year when they gave away a fourth-round pick for wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, who's caught all of five passes for the team and hasn't played a single game this season.

Look, I don't fancy myself as some pseudo-GM who knows better than the pros, but I get the feeling Jones and the Cowboys are going about this team-building thing the wrong way. Unless, of course, the point is to stay relevant and keep us entertained. They've got that part down to a T.

NFL trade deadline winners and losers

Quinnen Williams wasn't the only big name on the move, as the Jets also traded Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts, and other contenders made deals to strengthen their rosters. But the biggest winners of the deadline weren't just the teams that got better, according to FTW's Christian D'Andrea. They were also the players that landed in better situations, including Rashid Shaheed getting out of New Orleans:

Now Shaheed gets to play with Sam Darnold, a player whose 0.37 EPA per play is the best in the league. Per SIS, he's completed 17 of his 27 deep throws this season and turned rookies Tory Horton and Elijah Arroyo into scoring threats in last week's rout of the Washington Commanders. His average pass *already* travels a league-high 9.6 yards downfield. Expect Shaheed's catch rate to shoot upward like a rocket.

Shaheed fantasy owners have to be thrilled. He'll create more space for Seattle's other playmakers too. Here's more from Christian on the biggest winners and losers of the deadline.

Quick hits: Tom Brady is weird ... a WILD celebration ... and more

  • Tom Brady's dog is apparently a clone of his old dog. Robert Zeglinski wrote about how extremely that is.
  • A Dodgers player celebrated the team's World Series title by getting the trophy tattooed on an NSFW part of his body. Yes, this really happened.
  • One player not traded by the Jets was Breece Hall, who tweeted a cryptic gif amid all the deadline chaos. Elsewhere on X, Sauce Gardner gave a simple five-word farewell to the Jets.
  • Julian Sayin's odds to win the Heisman Trophy are gaining separation from the pack, just as Ohio State came in No. 1 in the first reveal of the College Football Playoff rankings.

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This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Cowboys only exist for our amusement

Reporting by Prince J. Grimes, For The Win / For The Win

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